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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. press — to push
  4. degree — from a university
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. snap — to click
  7. degree — temperature
  8. branch — a division
  9. net — for catching
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — a publisher
  14. fine — all right
  15. net — after costs
  16. degree — an amount
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. kid — to tease
  19. fine — high quality
  20. net — in sport
  21. pass — a permit
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. kid — child

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com